(Says won’t flinch from launching protest if this is not done)
(Condemns AAP govt for not defending Punjab’s case in court, asks it to tell centre PU status is not negotiable)
Chandigarh: The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today while condemning the lathi charge on student organizations protesting against the centralization of the Panjab University, asked the centre to withdraw this proposal immediately and asserted that it would not allow the centre to convert PU into a central varsity at any cost.
Taking strong notice of the high handedness meted out to students, SAD Spokesman Dr Daljit Singh Cheema said party president Sukhbir Singh Badal had also expressed shock at the flagrant manner in which the rights of Punjab were being usurped one after the other. He said the party president had made it clear that it was one with the students of PU as well as its Syndicate and Senate in retaining the unique character of the University.
“We will not flinch from launching a protest to ensure the character of Panjab University is not change”, he added. The SAD Spokesman also condemned the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for not defending Punjab’s case vis a vis Panjab University properly in court. He said the AAP government should rectify its mistake and immediately inform the centre that Panjab University’s status was not negotiable.
Dr Cheema said Panjab University was a symbol of pride for Punjabis who did not want its unique character to be tinkered in any manner whatsoever. He said the University was a symbol of the rich and varied culture of Punjab and any move to transfer its jurisdiction to the centre would be against the interests of the State and its people.
Asserting that the chief minister should not take the issue lightly, the SAD leader said numerous conspiracies had been hatched in the recent part to dilute Punjab’s control over Panjab University. He said the SAD had always been in the forefront in ensuring the unique character of the varsity was not diluted.
He gave the instance of how the SAD successfully opposed formation of a high level committee in the guise of governance reforms which recommended drastic reduction in the territorial jurisdiction of the institution as well as eliminating Punjabis from the institution by recommending the Syndicate have only ex-officio and nominated members instead of elected representatives.
Dr Cheema said the centre had been encroaching on the powers of Punjab over Chandigarh steadily. “Be it reducing the ratio of Punjab employees in Chandigarh, diluting the importance of Punjabi in the union territory to implementing central service rules in Chandigarh, Punjab’s hold over Chandigarh had been drastically reduced. “This trend needs to be reversed”, he added.
